Week 3 Reflective Post

After we finished Unit 4, we started on Unit 5.  So far in this unit, we've covered concepts such as relative mass and molar masses of elements.  We know that from the periodic table, elements have specific set masses.  For example, oxygen has a set mass of about 16 units and Neon has a set mass of about 20 units.  These masses also determine the relative sizes of atoms in an element.  The first worksheet we did to help model relative mass and how to calculate it was a worksheet where we had to calculate the masses of a few vials with different objects in them.  From there, we answered different questions that analyzed the specifics behind calculating relative mass and how we can apply it to modern day life.

Moving further into the worksheet, we had to do some conversions and calculating to get our answers.  Dr. J. showed us a very interesting method that is very helpful once you get the hang of it.  All you need to do is plug in the values and move around some units, and you have your answer.  One of the main things I need to remember to do is label my quantities.  I keep forgetting to label when doing the problems and then halfway through I don't know which values are which so I get very confused.  One great thing about this class is the white boarding.  When I was confused with a  couple of the problems I looked at other groups whiteboards.  This really helped me as I could see the  solving process the groups went through and how they came to my answer.  After completing some of the white boarding, I was able to go back and finish the worksheet with a better understanding of the concepts.
Further into the week, we did a second worksheet which was titled Unit 5 Worksheet 1.  Whereas the first worksheet covered just finding relative mass, this one introduced the concept of molar masses of the elements.  One of the very first questions asked us to portray how much more massive oxygen molecules are compared to Hydrogen molecules.  This was a great question to kick off the worksheet as it gave us the basic idea of how the molar masses compare.  Because the density of Oxygen gas at standard T and P is larger than the density pf Hydrogen gas at these same conditions,  You would draw the oxygen atoms much larger than the hydrogen atoms because of the density differences.  Calculating how much more massive something is was also very helpful because it provided a thoughtful visual.  We finished off the worksheet by comparing the masses of certain elements if they combined in a 1:1 ratio.  These problems helped us practice calculating the different masses and it gave us further knowledge on the reactions between elements.
Overall, these worksheets were a great way to start our journey into Unit 5.  They gave us lots of practice in converting and calculating, which is something you always want to know how to do as a scientist.  I'm excited to forage further into this unit while continuing to gain new chemistry knowledge and science knowledge in general.